EAGLES 28 - TUSTIN 19 - CIF
TUSTIN, CA., November 27, 1998 – Spencer McCroskey rushed for 131 yards and one touchdown and added a career-high 21 tackles to lead the Eagles to a 28-19 win over the Tustin Tillers in the second round of the CIF-SS Division VI playoffs. The game was a rematch of 1997’s thrilling 55-42 CIF Championship Game and the win marked the fourth year in a row that the Eagles have ended Tustin’s season. The Tillers, coming off a 71-point performance over Foothill the previous week, struck first on a 25-yard pass from David Miller to Mike Burrell with 7:00 left in the half. The PAT was missed and the Tillers led 6-0. The Eagles responded on their next drive by marching 66 yards on seven plays capped by McCroskey’s 20-yard touchdown run to go up 7-6 with 4:09 left. Greg Orlando hit Mike O’Gorman on a 15-yard scoring pass at the 7:13 mark of the third quarter to move ahead 14-6. Tustin came right back behind an eight-yard touchdown run by Brandon Malcom to close within two, but the two-point play failed. In the fourth quarter, the Eagles went 70 yards on six plays and went up 21-12 at the 6:03 mark on Lee Smith’s five-yard touchdown run. Tustin’s David Little rambled on a 44-yard scoring run at the 3:41 mark to pull the Tillers within two at 21-19. McCroskey, who gained 99 of his yards in the fourth quarter, ran for 41 yards on the next series to set up Orlando’s one-yard run with 2:11 left to close out the scoring. Defensively, the Eagles limited the Tillers to three pass completions, while Josh Wills chipped-in a career-high 20 tackles, John Bennett added 16 and Tyler Thompson 14.
| Santa Margarita | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Tustin | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 19 |
TUS – Burrell 24 pass from Miller (kick failed)
SM – McCroskey 20 run (Froehlich kick)
SM – O'Gorman 15 pass from Orlando (Froehlich kick)
TUS – Malcom 8 run (pass failed)
SM – Smith 5 run (Froehlich kick)
TUS – Little 44 run (Teschke kick)
SM – Orlando 1 run (Froehlich kick)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - McCroskey 12-131, Orlando, 9-68; Tus - Malcom 22-123, Little 14-109
Passing: SM - Orlando 9-16-0-69; Tus - Miller, 3-9-0-5
Receiving: SM - O'Gorman 3-25, Creager 2-19; Tus - Burrell 2-25, Watkins, 1-26
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Santa Margarita comes up big
TUSTIN – Tustin coach Myron Miller faced another playoff loss to Santa Margarita on Friday, and he knew exactly why.
"Every time the game was on the line, they made a big play," he said.
Santa Margarita saved many of its biggest plays for the second half of its CIF Division VI quarterfinal at Tustin High.
All three of the Eagles' second-half touchdowns were set up by key runs, which helped power Santa Margarita to a 28-19 victory at Tustin High. It was the fourth consecutive year Santa Margarita knocked Tustin out of the playoffs.
The Eagles (9-3) turned to running back Spencer McCroskey and quarterback Greg Orlando in the second half, and the senior duo came through.
Orlando made the first big play, scrambling out of trouble on third-down for a 33-yard gain to the Tillers' 10-yard line. Two plays and a 5-yard penalty later, Orlando connected on a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike O'Gorman for a 14-6 lead with 7:13 left in the third.
Tustin (7-5) cut Santa Margarita's lead to 14-12 with 7:51 left in the fourth on Brandon Malcom's 8-yard touchdown run, but the Eagles were just getting started.
Running back Spencer McCroskey led the Eagles on a 70-yard scoring drive. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder had the key play of the drive, breaking a 29-yard run to the Tillers' 15. O'Gorman provided the key block down field that freed McCroskey, who finished with 131 yards on 12 carries.
McCroskey then got a scare, however. He fumbled on his next carry, but O`Gorman recovered the ball at the Tillers' 5. On the next play, running back Lee Smith scored on a 5-yard run, giving the Eagles a 21-12 lead with 6:03 left.
Tustin didn't give up. Running back David Little broke a 44-yard touchdown run, which featured a 360-degree spin at the 35, with 3:41 left, as the Tillers cut the Eagles' lead to 21-19.
Santa Margarita needed one more big play, and McCroskey provided it.
After Tustin's onsides kick failed to travel 10 yards, Santa Margarita took over at Tustin's 46. On third-and-4 from the 40, McCroskey broke a 39-yard run to the 1, breaking the Tillers' hope of a comeback.
"(The offensive line) had an incredible night," said McCroskey, who rushed for 107 of his yards in the second half. "The offensive line maintained its blocks."
Said Santa Margarita coach Jim Hartigan, "Offensively, we did some nice things. ... We ran right at them."
Santa Margarita led 7-6 at intermission, getting a 20-yard touchdown run from McCroskey and an extra-point from kicker Matt Froehlich.
By Dan Albano
Saturday, November 28, 1998
The Orange County Register - D12
